[Paul Copioli]

The text below is what I sent to some people at FIRST HQ. Please note that I wrote this before the Michigan State Championship:

"I have a unique perspective on this "experiment" as I have been at a normal regional (Midwest) with my team as a participant, a volunteer at a Michigan District (Kettering), and a participant with my team at a Michigan District (Cass Tech).



To me, the experiment is a collection of smaller experiments that are grouped together in the Michigan pilot. I know that this thinking is consistent with what the FiM folks have been proposing for some time.



Let's look at them individually:



(1) Keep your robot - This is fantastic in my opinion. It may eventually eliminate the feeling that teams have regarding a second robot. Right now, I can tell you that teams who have a second robot have a distinct advantage to teams that do not. The “autonomous era” has brought us the practice robot. If the “keep your robot” rule exists next year, then my team will seriously consider not building a second robot. This will save teams time in the long run! The bag system, while a little unorthodox, is a pretty good system. It does rely heavily on GP. The one item I would like to see changed is that you must have another FIRST team sign you in and out. Right now you just need someone not directly associated with your team. It really forces the veterans in a region to help out the rookies. We helped three rookies that we normally would not have even known about, but we were extra concerned this year. This really is one item that can really help FRC have long term sustainable growth from a human resources point of view (as opposed to financial). The 8 hours you get with your robot because of no practice day (see #2 below) is beneficial because you are at your shop with your tools. Again, teams without resources need help from other local teams in this area but I have faith that the veteran teams can really step it up in this area. This small piece of the experiment can be implemented in 2010 independent of the district model and save FIRST a lot of money in drayage and shipping.



(2) Two day events (eliminate Thursday) – This item has saved me from taking off two extra days from work, which is big in today’s environment. Moving the awards to all on Saturday is a great move. It does make for a long Friday, but not taking off Thursday from work is great. Thursday load in starts at 6pm and teams bring their robot with their pit stuff. This worked way better than I expected. The pits were open until 9 (or 10)pm and teams got some practice in and some pit time. Kettering ran much better on Friday than Cass Tech, but attribute that to rookie regional syndrome as Kettering has run an off season event for several years. With that said, Cass Tech was 45 minutes ahead of schedule on Saturday and, in my opinion, will be one of the better districts for years to come (more on this later). This small piece of the experiment can also be implemented in 2010 independent of the district model.



(3) 12 Matches – This is related to #2 above and was the main contributor to the long Friday, but it was worth it. Forget about teams like mine (67, 469, 503, 1701, etc.), because we will play more matches by adding Regional events. This model is better for rookies who are ill prepared for their first event. There are several rookie and second year teams that did not make it out for their first 4 or 5 matches due to technical problems or inspection problems. This happened at Midwest and the two districts and was not isolated to the two districts. However, the teams that attended the district still had 7 or 8 more matches to go after they missed their first 4 or 5; at Midwest they only had 3 or 4. By simply rearranging the awards and making Friday slightly longer, Michigan was able to give each team 12 matches. This small piece of the experiment can also be implemented in 2010 independent of the district model.



(4) The District Model (2 reduced cost events) – This one is a bit tougher to expand for a couple of reasons that I will get into later. This relies heavily on the volunteers in the state / region, but it really works for Michigan. I can see other densely populated regions using it. California and the East coast come to mind. The good thing is that the other 3 items above do not depend on the district model to work. With that said, the district model is the future if we want to draw in more sustainable teams for FRC. Regionalizing the FIRST organization is a logical next step (boy, it sounds like discussions during the birth of our nation debating federal and state control … I digress) as getting local leadership to spearhead the district model is essential. For Michigan, we needed more events and we needed them at a lower cost. Two plays for the price of one will really help item 3 above as a team at Cass Tech was only able to attend match #12 as they had major issues. Now that they are going to a second district, they will get 12 plays. I guarantee this team will be back next year solely because of the “2 for 1” district model. Again, local leadership needs to be groomed and spearhead the district push but I really believe that some other regions will make the leap to the district model if given the option. I think if ground rules are set, then each region can be given a choice between standard and District structure. They can choose what works fro them.



Now about Cass Tech … it was one heck of a venue. They had volunteer coordinator issues early, but the amazing venue and atmosphere did not reduce the quality of event over a regular regional at all. The only thing missing was the fancy expensive lighting. The atmosphere was awesome. I truly believe you should come to one of the remaining events in Michigan. I strongly suggest you come to the Troy Athens district during week 5. You really must see this for yourself to have a true appreciation. I know that you are very busy, but there are plenty of us here who can help facilitate any special transportation needs you may have (picking up at airport, hotel accommodations, etc.). I think you will have a unique perspective based on your original vision of FIRST and can make much more educated comments on whether the district model is beneficial to FRC. I was skeptical at first, but now I am a believer."